FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOUSE MINERALS COMMITTEE DEFEATS ANTI-TERRORISM BILL


(Banner, Wyo.)  The Wyoming Vaccine Information Network announced that
Wednesday morning, March 6th, saw the defeat of Senator Charles Scott's
(R-Natrona Co.) controversial bill in the State House of Representatives
Minerals Committee.    Upon passage from the State Senate, with a vote of 18
to 12, Senate File 67, the "anti-terrorism amendments" bill, was debated in
the House "Minerals, Business, and Economic Development" Committee on
Wednesday.
    One of the most objectionable aspects of the bill was the provision that
an "incident commander", chosen by the governor, would have powers over
everyone, including "personnel and resources made available to him from any
source."    Committee member, Representative Pete Illoway (R-Laramie Co.)
expressed outrage that anyone would even attempt to pass a bill that would
place American citizens under the authority of anyone with such dictatorial
power.   Another committee member, Representative Floyd Esquibel (D-Laramie
County), expressed his displeasure at the extensive powers by saying, "I
wouldn't want to give the Pope the powers that are contained within this
bill."
    Although a medical exemption was allowed, another alarming aspect of the
bill was the requirement that if quarantine was not considered to be
reasonably practicable and effective, vaccination would be mandated for
everyone, regardless of religious or philosophical beliefs.
    Those opposing this bill pointed out that the bill made no provision for
the construction, operation, and maintenance of the detention centers that
would be necessary to hold the large number of Wyoming people who would
refuse to permit a rushed-to-production, untested, vaccination to be
injected into their bodies.
    Another person commenting on the bill stated that if the goal was to
vaccinate the maximum number of people possible, then doing so with a
voluntary program would result in more persons receiving the vaccination
than if Wyoming's citizens were to be told, "You must receive this
vaccination."   He stated his confidence that Wyomingites would be just as
quick to help fight a terrorist attack as the people of New York were after
the September 11th attacks.
    One man said that in the event of a biological emergency, if the
incident commander announced that they were going to attempt to administer
vaccines to everyone, a sizeable percentage of the population of Wyoming
would go into open revolt.  Since there are people who would absolutely
refuse, he said, then instead of putting our resources into responding to
the terrorists, we would instead be putting our resources into fighting our
own people, some of whom would rather die than be vaccinated.
    Proponents of SF-67 explained their belief that in the event of a
biological attack, some children would be vaccinated without parental
consent because the parents would not be reachable since they would be at
work.  Thus the need for a provision in the bill to allow children to be
vaccinated without parental consent.
    Says Jacque Jones, co-founder of Wyoming Vaccine Information Network,
"Drugs and vaccines that are experimental cannot legally be allowed without
patient informed consent.  Now, as a result of recently passed bills in the
U.S. government, these drugs and vaccines, to be used for biological
defense, can be approved as safe and effective after solely animal testing.
In the past, human efficacy trials had been required to allow them to be
considered safe and effective.  I'm really concerned that people might be
forced to receive such substances and that damages from this policy would be
devastating.  And SF-67 would have exempted the authorities from any
liability for 'competently' following instructions."
    SF-67 was defeated with an 8 to 1 vote.  The committee member
voting for the bill was Representative John Eyre (R-Lyman).

Written by Susan Pearce, Banner, WY and Bob Rule, Cheyenne, WY
For additional information, please contact:
Wyoming Vaccine Information Network
Susan Pearce, Banner, Wyoming  (307) 737-2325, [email protected] or
Jacque Jones, Buffalo, Wyoming  (307) 684-2969, [email protected]